IND vs NZ: Rohit Sharma Surpasses Azharuddin in ODI Runs Despite Modest Knock

In the second ODI between India and New Zealand at Rajkot, Rohit Sharma could not play a big innings, scoring just 24 runs off 38 balls before being caught by Will Young off Christian Clarke’s delivery. Despite this, Rohit has overtaken former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin in the list of most runs scored by Indian batsmen against New Zealand in ODIs.

Rohit Sharma’s bat has failed to fire in both matches of this series against New Zealand. In the Rajkot match, he struggled to find his rhythm and couldn’t build a substantial innings. Attempting to loft a full-length delivery over the covers, Rohit misjudged the shot and offered a catch to Will Young after scoring 24 runs, including 4 boundaries.

Record-Breaking Milestone
Despite the modest score, Rohit Sharma surpassed Mohammad Azharuddin’s record of 1,118 runs in 40 ODIs against New Zealand. Before this series, Rohit was sixth on India’s list of highest ODI run-scorers against New Zealand. In the previous ODI at Vadodara, he had moved past former captain Sourav Ganguly, reaching 1,099 runs in 32 matches, compared to Ganguly’s 1,079 runs in 32 matches.

On Wednesday in Rajkot, Rohit went past Azharuddin, taking his tally to 1,123 runs, cementing his position among India’s top ODI run-getters against the Kiwis.

Next Target: Virender Sehwag
Rohit now has an opportunity to surpass Virender Sehwag in the next and final ODI of the series. Sehwag had scored 1,157 runs in just 23 matches against New Zealand. If Rohit scores 35 runs or more in the upcoming match, he will move to third place on the list, leaving only Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar ahead.

Kohli Leaves Sachin Behind
Speaking of records, Virat Kohli recently overtook Sachin Tendulkar in the list of most runs by Indian batsmen against New Zealand. Sachin had scored 1,750 runs in 42 matches, while Kohli reached 1,767 runs in just 35 matches after scoring 23 runs in the Rajkot ODI.